Training Days
by SessKagShipper2003
Summary: A story detailing Kagome's four months with the Wolf Demon Tribe. Takes place during my other story Broken. A short summary of the events leading up to this point is included inside for those who haven't read Broken. When I update depends entirely on you guys. I don't own InuYasha or the characters, all rights to Rumiko Takahashi. Some pairings, but they're not the main focus. R&R
1. Arrival and Awakening

[Hey guys! So, I'm assuming that most of you have read my story Broken. If not, you might be a little confused, so I'm going to give you a brief summary of the events leading up to now. If you haven't read Broken, but you want to, then there may be a few spoilers, so I would read Broken first. This happens kind of in Chapter Six, which is basically one big time skip.

The story up to this point: Kagome's friends are slain by Naraku. She was paralyzed by miasma, there was nothing she could do, but she is still wracked with guilt, convinced that she could have helped. She is saved by Sesshomaru, who had heard her scream as Inuyasha was killed. He nurses her back to health, as she had received some injuries, and the two begin to travel together. They fight Naraku, and Sesshomaru, impressed by Kagome's power, admits to having a dark past, though he doesn't tell her about it, leaving her in the dark. That night, after having nightmares about her friends, in which they accuse her of terrible things, like letting them die out of spite, she starts to doubt herself, and runs off, attempting suicide, but is stopped by Sesshomaru at the last second. The next morning, they kiss, and Kagome, not ready to move on yet, flees, going to the only place she can think of, the wolf den.

The italicized part is an insert from Broken. So, without further ado, please enjoy!]

 _She reached the waterfall by sunset. Ginta and Hakkaku seemed surprised to see her, but their surprise turned to joy when she said she might be staying for a while._

 _Hakkaku stayed behind to continue guarding, and Ginta took her to find Koga._

 _"Really. You don't have to-"_

 _"Of course I do. Koga's reaction will be amazing."_

 _You have no idea, she thought. The wind was strong, so neither Ginta nor Hakkaku had smelled Sesshomaru's scent on her, but it was the first thing Koga would notice._

 _They entered the cave together, and she tried to ignore the many, many stares. As they got deeper into the cave, she saw Koga. His head snapped up as soon as she was within ten feet. He was standing in front of her and holding her hands before she could blink._

 _"Kagome. I'm sorry to say I still haven't killed Naraku, but I- Wait. How come you smell like muttface's brother? And why are you all beat up? I swear I'll kill that muttface, where is he?"_

 _"Koga, it's not like that. He's-" she tried to interrupt, but he was already ranting._

 _"No respect. I swear, if you were my woman I'd-"_

 _"Koga! I'm trying to tell you that InuYasha's dead!"_

 _Koga's face went blank, and the entire cave went silent. Ginta was the first to react, putting an arm around her shoulders._

 _"Why didn't you tell us? Hakkaku and I would've..." he trailed off, not really knowing what to say._

 _"I'll kill that Naraku," Koga snarled. The conversation around the cave resumed, but it seemed to be dampened._

 _She felt her eyes start to fill with tears._

 _"So anyway... I was wondering if I could possibly stay here?"_

 _"Of course Kagome. Anything you need."_

 _"And could I ask for one more thing?"_

 _"What?"_

 _"Training. I want to get stronger, and to do that, I'll need some help."_

 _The two wolves looked at each other._

 _"Of course," Koga finally said, "Now, why do you smell like Sesshomaru?"_

 _"I was traveling with him for a few days. He's the one who saved me from Naraku. We kinda... had a falling out, and we both thought it best if we went separate ways for a while."_

 _"Interesting. I suppose we need all the allies we can get. Ginta! Get Hakkaku, and tell someone else to guard. We four have a lot to talk about._

 _Ginta went to get Hakkaku._

 _"Is there anything I can get for you? Food? Drink?"_

 _She thought about it for a minute._

 _"Some saké would be nice."_

 _He blinked, "Alright then."_

 _The two wolf demons returned then, Hakkaku seemingly shocked, and Ginta trying to comfort Kagome again. Koga stood up to get the saké._

 _"Why don't you tell us how this whole thing started?" he asked when he returned._

 _"Well, we were sitting around in a clearing, when out of nowhere..."_

 _She, Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku sat around a fire, the three wolves listening to her story, and starting to laugh at her slurred words as the saké hit all of their systems. She got as far as when she was at the cliff before she was too drunk to go on. The rest of the night passed in a blur of bad jokes, tears, and a lot of sak_ _é_ _._

...

Kagome woke with her head pounding and her stomach twisting dangerously. The light was like needles piercing her eyes, and she felt stiff.

"Ugh. What happened?" she groaned.

"We all had a little too much to drink last night," Koga said. His voice rose from a little ways away, and it sounded strained, as if he too was suffering an immense hangover.

She sat up with effort, leaning against the save walls, and seeing Koga in a similar position, his hand over his eyes. Ginta and Hakkaku were sitting up too, groaning with their hands on their stomachs.

"Is it always like this when you drink?" she asked.

"It's usually not this bad, but we all had _way_ too much," Ginta mumbled, which she was grateful for, since all their voices were like bullets through her head.

"But fear not sweet Kagome," Koga said, the others wincing at his loud voice, "We wolves have the perfect cure for such things!"

"If you can drink it without losing your lunch first," Hakkaku muttered, gulping back bile at the very thought.

Kagome glanced around, ignoring the pain in her head, and sighed as she noted the entire tribe sneaking glances at her. She was glad she hadn't done anything stupid when she was drunk, because if she had, there would be a lot more than glances.

Too scared to pull herself to her feet, she stayed where she was, watching another wolf make the hangover cure on Koga's orders. He was tall, with dark hair and a deep voice, and he seemed calm, though a tad annoyed to have to brew tea for his chief.

"Now add the m-"

"I know how to make the tea my chief."

Koga laughed, wincing, "Apologies Ame. I don't doubt your skill for a moment."

Ame grunted, but he was smiling, amused. Kagome would have smiled too, but she was having a particularly difficult time keeping the contents of her stomach where they were supposed to be.

"Ame, hurry up with that tea. Kagome looks like she's gonna be sick any minute."

The tall yokai looked down at her, seeming to examine her.

"I don't think I'll finish in time," he warned, just as Kagome clamped a hand over her mouth and bolted outside.

She was quietly sick into the river, which carried the meager amount of food in her stomach away and out of sight. But she wasn't done. She continued to heave until there was nothing left, and dry heaved after that. She felt a soothing hand on her shoulder and turned to see another wolf behind her. She was short, probably around four ten, with short blonde hair, green eyes, and a large chest.

"We've all been there," she said in a soothing tone, flipping her hair from in front of her eyes, "I'm Shiemi."

"I've don't think I've seen another female wolf yokai besides Ayame."

She laughed, "We're pretty scarce around here, but there are more up North where the Elder and his granddaughter live."

Kagome smiled too, before turning to dry heave again.

"I think Ame's done with the tea."

Kagome nodded, and walked back to the cave, much slower this time with the pain in her head, with Shiemi at her side.

"Nice job hurrying," she said sarcastically as she sat back down, sending a glare toward Ame.

He just laughed, "It's not my fault. It needs to be brewed for a certain amount of time, or else it doesn't work."

She rolled her eyes as he handed her a cup.

"Drink it slowly," he warned.

She did, and shot glances at the man as he walked around, giving the tea to his pack mates. She especially noted how Shiemi's eyes followed him. She thought maybe they were brother and sister, though they did look pretty different.

 _It doesn't really matter anyway,_ she thought, _I'll be too busy training for drama._

[Good, bad, terrible? I won't know unless you REVIEW. Let me know if you want me to write this AND Baby's First, with chapters further apart, or if you want me to wait until I finish Baby's First.]


	2. Training

[Finally! I am SO glad to get back to this story. Please review, check out my poll, and enjoy.]

"Alright," Koga said when all of their hangovers were cured, "About your training. What prior experience do you have?"

"I have average control of my reiki, and I'm pretty good with a bow and arrow. Other than that though..."

Koga sighed, "This may take a while then."

"With all due respect, I don't have a while. Naraku is getting stronger by the day, and either myself or Kikyo is the one destined to defeat him. It could be months, weeks even, before we have to move."

Putting his hands behind his head, the wolf sighed.

"I thought you might say that. There is a way to accelerate your learning, but it will be very tiring, and will require almost perfect reiki control. Ginta can teach you that."

He interrupted the question she was about to ask by saying, "Believe it or not, controlling yoki is very similar to controlling reiki. The only difference is that yoki is a dark energy, so it flows differently from reiki, a light energy. They're similar to the yin and the yang."

She nodded, familiar with the concept, "When can we start?"

"Right now, if you want."

It was Ginta who spoke. He had appeared at Kagome's side very suddenly, and she jumped.

"It seems your reflexes could use some work as well," Koga pointed out, amused.

She smacked his shoulder lightly, "No teasing."

He laughed, "Sorry. Now, you two go on."

She nodded, and, waving over her shoulder, she followed Ginta out of the den.

"For safety reasons," he explained as they walked, "We'll have to practice away from the den. When it isn't properly controlled, reiki is very dangerous."

She nodded, and followed quickly behind him, trying her hardest to catch up to a yokai who much faster.

* * *

They reached a small pool of water almost an hour later, a waterfall pouring in a fresh stream of water with every second. There was a large boulder rising from the water, and the water around it was up to her shoulders at least. She glanced wearily at the water, wondering if she'd be able to get across, when Ginta scooped her up and leapt to the miniature island as if it were nothing.

"You'll be able to do that yourself," he said, "once you're a little stronger."

They sat across from each other, cross-legged.

"Now what?" she asked.

"Now we meditate. I want you to try to sense what's around you with your reiki. It is an easier thing to do, but it still requires control. You'll be able to do it on a whim when your training is finished."

She nodded, then closed her eyes, bringing her hands to her knees, palm up.

At first there was nothing, no sensation but the sound of the waterfall and the darkness behind her eyelids, but as she slowly released her reiki around her, a picture started to formulate. She could she the vague shapes of everything around her. Releasing a bit more reiki, the picture came into focus, and she saw Ginta behind her, a darker presence in the gray pictured world around her. She looked, in the reiki image, like a ray of light, and she figured her energy was the purest in the surrounding area.

She stopped releasing reiki, the curtain already surrounding her providing all the visibility she needed. It was surreal. She supposed she'd always been doing some version of this when she sensed presences, or even the shards, but this... was in a class of it's own.

"You should note," Ginta said, startling her out of the reiki vision, "That you hardly used any reiki to complete that task."

Surprised, she focused for a moment and realized that, indeed, very little of her reiki had burned. The semi-sparkling cloud around her was starting to fade, and she felt strangely blind in comparison, though her vision was perfect.

"Wow. That was... Wow."

He nodded, "Depending on how powerful someone is, the distance they can see will increase. I would say that you're pretty good."

She grinned, "I wouldn't say that exactly."

"Alright, now let's move on to something a little more challenging."

* * *

At noon, Ginta walked her back to the wolf den, where she was greeted by the wolf from earlier, Ame.

"Hello miss Kagome. Our chief has asked me to teach you how to live off the land and gather food. I will teach you until sundown. Is that acceptable?"

She nodded, and waved goodbye to Ginta as she followed the other wolf into the woods.

* * *

"Alright. First things first, we need to teach you about the poisonous plants around," he said as they walked, "Look, there's one!"

She followed, watching and trying to memorize the various plants around her.

They swiftly fell into a routine, and the day passed in a blur.

* * *

They returned to the den, Kagome tired and sore, and were intercepted by the blonde, Shiemi.

"Alright," she said, "Come with me."

Kagome nearly groaned aloud, but followed the other woman into the woods. She found herself at the top of a hill in a wooded clearing. There was a pool of steaming water in the center, and fireflies illuminated it like tiny holiday lights.

"Woah."

The two undressed and slipped into the warm water.

* * *

"Alright. First lesson of our culture: We bathe together."

"Like... with boys?"

"Hm.. It depends. Women bathe with men they're close to, or trust, but otherwise women bathe with women, men with men. Since we're the only two women around, it'll just be us."

"Oh. That's.. good. I... men... I mean-" she was a tad flustered at the idea of being in such close proximity to nude men.

"Oh, stop! You need to learn that you have nothing to be embarrassed about. We wolves have a saying, 'All that matters is your own opinion.' Though that may have been a bad example, since it's usually used when talking about mating."

"Like... **mating** mating, or just taking a mate?"

She shrugged, "It's an old saying. There aren't as many girls around, so they have to be polite to whoever they manage to find."

Kagome nodded. She had been worried for a moment. It was silly anyway, she thought, since Koga still considered her 'his woman'. She'd have to do something about it in the future.

"Anyways, it's about time to get back. We need to be in before the last fires go out or we'll have to be night guards."

She nodded and stood, the steaming water flowing off of her skin. Pulling a towel from her bag, she dried off and tried her best to dry her hair. The only other clothes she had in her pack were her priestess garb. She pulled it out and slipped it on with practiced ease. She wasn't so good with a lot of the clothes in this time, but her priestess garb was easy. She left her damp hair down and slipped on her old shoes. They were tattered and grass stained, but they were the last bits of home she had.

"Let's go back."

[Good? Bad? I won't know unless you **tell me**! Thanks for reading!]


	3. Stars

[New chapter, finally. I'm so sorry for the delay, but since I'm stuck doing extra classes this semester, I sorta don't have as much time as I used to. It sucks, but I don't really have a choice. So, yeah. Please enjoy, and let me know what you think.]

Kagome woke the next morning feeling as if she'd gotten zero sleep, though, in all honesty, she'd gotten just the right amount. The rigorous training from the day before was taking its toll, and when she woke, on Koga's furs, she stretched stiff muscles and went back to sleep, or at least she tried. The voices of the surrounding wolves kept her just at the barrier of sleep, and she was aware of everything in a detached way. Finally, she gave up, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

She yawned, noticing Ginta waiting patiently for her at the mouth of the cave. She pulled her shoes on hurriedly from where she had taken them off, and she quickly ran out to meet him.

"Ginta! You could have woken me up, you know!"

He shrugged, "This training's difficult. I didn't want you to overdo it."

"Alright, I guess I'll forgive you, but we'd better go now!"

He nodded, allowing her to pull him to his feet, and they walked toward the waterfall together.

* * *

When her spiritual training was finished, she met with Ame and studied some plants around, but her lesson with Shiemi was the most enjoyable. They spent their day up in nearby mountains, sitting and talking more than learning.

Shiemi told her a few pack stories, but slowly their lesson turned to a normal, everyday chat, and she found herself gazing quietly into the distance as her new friend told her of the few women Koga had failed to romance before he met Kagome, and the many, brutal ways her chief had been rejected. Kagome couldn't help but cringe.

"Well, what about you Kagome?"

"Me?"

"Have you ever been in love?"

"Oh! N-no... except maybe with Inuyasha."

"That's...?"

"Inuyasha is -was- a hanyou. He and Koga didn't get along very well, but I think they could have gotten past it if Inuyasha hadn't..."

"Don't want to talk about it?"

"No, not really, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. Your not the only one around here who's lost somebody. We wolves are a tribe of warriors. We've all lost someone at one point or another."

"So then-"

"Don't feel bad for us, Kagome. That's just how things work around here."

She sat in silence for a while, before laying back in the long grass and saying, "Things here are so much different than at home."

"Where _are_ you from?"

"Would you believe me if I said I was from the future?"

Shiemi blinked, then shrugged.

"I've seen a lot of strange things in my life. I don't see what reason you would have for lying."

Kagome just sighed.

"It's hard you know. Because I know that, for my world to exist as it does, all of this would have to end. Or at least change."

"Why is that?"

"There aren't any yokai in my world. Or, at least, not that I know of."

Shiemi frowned at the notion, then laid back as well.

"Well, whatever happened, I'm sure that the yokai can't all be gone. We outnumber humans greatly, so there's no way we could be wiped out."

They both went silent, eyes on the clouds, until the sun began to go down. Then they got up and meandered back down the mountain, talking about this and that until they reached the hot springs, and got in. Kagome sighed in relief as the hot water met her aching body.

Shiemi sighed a similar sigh, but instead of relaxing like Kagome did, she tipped her head back and looked up at the stars.

"We have a legend," she said, "about the stars."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I suppose the legend started with our first chief, Kuro of the Two Blades. He said that, for every one of the tribe, leader or underling, there was a story in the stars. Of course, over the years the legend has changed. We believe, now more than ever, of a story in those stars. But every star is one person, and the picture can't be formed until everyone has done their part to complete the story."

 _Is that what I am? Just one star in a sea of thousands, trying desperately to shine? Or am I the star that no one notices, the one that shines the dimmest?_

And she was scared. Because she didn't know. She had no idea who she was, what she was, or even why she was alive. If everyone worked to create one infinite story, one masterpiece in the stars, then what was her role? And how was she to find it?

[Well that got unintentionally philosophical. Please review and check out the poll on my profile.]


	4. Oath

[Hey guys! I'm writing this in one of my brief windows of opportunity (a.k.a. Saturday night), and let me just say, it feels good to be writing again. I haven't really been inspired lately, but I'm really feeling it tonight! Let's just hope it lasts *sigh*.]

If Kagome had to pick one word to describe training it would have been 'difficult'. It seemed that, in her training with Ginta, she used more reiki each day, and while she _was_ learning, it was taking a toll. It didn't help that Shiemi insisted on taking hikes during each of their lessons. "It'll build your stamina," she said, but in all honesty, she just wanted some time away from the men.

It also didn't help that she was up into the early hours of the morning every night contemplating the same questions.

 _Who am I? Why am I here?_

She was contemplating these questions when Ame and Shiemi appeared in front of her, startling her out of her daze.

"Oh. Hey guys. What's up?"

"We wanted to show you something," Ame said, smiling.

She'd quickly learned that his quiet demeanor was only for strangers, and that he warmed up to people quickly. She allowed her two friends to pull her to her feet. She stretched sore muscles and moved to follow them, almost jogging to keep up with their yoki enhanced pace.

* * *

They hiked together to the peak of the tallest hill, and by the time they to arrived the sun was already high in the sky, though it had been still on the horizon when they left. Kagome closed her eyes to catch her breath, and then opened them, looking out, off the peak they stood on.

Her breath caught at the view. She could see the river, spread out over the entire valley, glistening in the noon light. She could see the wolf den, and if she looked off into the distance she could see the rooftops of distant villages. Forests were like a divider between individual worlds, and the river ran through them all, connecting them and dividing them all at once.

"Woah," was all she could say, "It's beautiful."

She saw Shiemi grin in her peripheral vision, "We thought you'd like it. But there was another reason we brought you up here."

"Yeah? What is it?"

She tore her eyes from the view to look at her friends.

"We need you to make an oath."

"What sort of oath? Does it have to do with Koga, because if so-"

Ame laughed, "No. We'd know better than to ask you that. It has to do with protection. All members of the chief's family, intended members included, are required by tribe law to have protectors."

"Protectors?"

Ame nodded, "Like Ginta and Hakkaku. They're not technically bound to the roll, but they do it nevertheless. And it's true, you're probably not gonna mate Koga, but he still declared his intentions, which means a lot in our culture. Koga told us to ask you. Unless you'd want someone else that is."

"I couldn't think of anyone better!" she said enthusiastically, "Now what's this oath?"

"It's more a ceremony really," Shiemi put in, "We each mix a few drops of our blood and then we paint our faces with it. Just on the cheekbones. You don't have to keep it for long, just long enough for the chief to see, and then you can wash it off."

Kagome nodded, paling a bit at the idea of rubbing blood on her face, but she pulled out the knife Koga had asked her to keep on her belt.

Ame and Shiemi drew their own blades, Ame's a sword and Shiemi's a dagger. Shiemi also pulled out a small bowl.

"Kagome first," she said.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Kagome moved the knife across the palm of her hand, keeping it shallow for the sake of the nerve endings bellow the skin, and let the blood drip into the bowl until it was about a third of the way full. Ame and Shiemi did the same, and then they all wrapped their hands in the bandages Shiemi had brought. They each dipped their pointer and middle fingers in, and smeared the blood across their faces, Kagome and Shiemi cringing a bit as the blood dripped down their faces.

"Let's hurry back," Kagome muttered, "The sooner I can wash this off the better."

* * *

They had scarcely stepped back into the den before a huge cheer echoed throughout, all eyes on them.

"Ah. I forgot to tell you," Shiemi murmured, "Becoming a protector is kind of a big deal."

"Hm. That's probably something you should have said."

A few wolves around them scooped Ame and Shiemi up onto their shoulders, dancing around the den with them. Koga appeared at her side as she watched.

"This'll go on for a while you know, they'll dance, and drink, and then they'll carry you three to the hot springs and throw you in."

"What? Throw us in?"

"Cheer up Kagome. We all have to do it. Ginta, Hakkaku, and I all survived it. There's nothing to worry about."

She was about to comment that she was human, and humans didn't do so well with being thrown by drunkards into semi-shallow water, but she was interrupted when a nearby wolf called, "Koga! Time to open up the private reserves?"

The chief laughed and nodded, going to assist his tribesman, and Kagome was left alone, until Hakkaku came to stand with her.

"How are you Kagome?"

"My hand's a little sore, but I'm fine. You?"

"Just enjoying my downtime. With Koga here training you, I don't have to follow him all across the countryside."

"We're definitely glad for that," Ginta agreed, emerging from the crowd of celebrating wolves.

Kagome smiled, her mind drifting back to the simpler times with her old friends. The two weeks with the wolves had dulled the pain somewhat, and it was definitely better than that throbbing ache she'd felt when she arrived, the constant reminder of her failure to save them, and the betrayal she committed by kissing Sesshomaru.

 _Stop! You don't have time to worry about him now, you're training to get stronger, and that means letting go of the past!_

If it hadn't been for the fact that she had vowed to never drink again (after the hangover of her first morning with the wolves), she would have taken a glass, anything to keep thoughts of Sesshomaru away. So instead she allowed herself to relax for a while, making polite conversation and watching the wolves around her slowly get more and more intoxicated. After a few drinks they began to dance, something that Ginta and Hakkaku (who were also staying sober, if not only for her sake) said only happened when the tribe was collectively drunk, because "they do it better that way".

It was a few hours of dancing and drinking, which soon changed to stumbling and drinking, until Kagome, Ame, and Shiemi were lifted into the air and carried to the hot springs. It was a wobbly ride, with the men carrying them being as drunk as they were, and Kagome just had enough time to hold her breath before she was thrown into the girls' hot spring.

She came up spluttering, and Shiemi surfaced beside her, spitting water and annoyed curses. They could hear Ame's annoyed voice from the boys' hot spring a little ways away, but he sounded more amused than anything.

Shiemi's eyes were bright, showing that she'd had a few drinks, and she threw her head back and laughed at the annoyed expression on Kagome's face. It was the only time Kagome had ever seen her truly laugh, and she was happy, even if Shiemi's amusement came at her expense.

"You won't be laughing in the morning when you get a hangover from hell."

Shiemi just laughed harder.


	5. Time Passes, As Time Does

[Another chapter! Guys, I just wanna say, I am SO sorry this took so long. A lot of stuff happened, but the gist of it is that I was stupid and put this off for twenty billion years. I started a new anime (Soul Eater), and school freaking sucks, and a whole ton of other boring stuff kept getting in the way. I'm so sorry! *shame*]

The next morning, as Kagome had predicted, Shiemi had a hangover from hell, and Ame, who had remained sober, was forced to brew his hangover tea for almost the entire tribe. Ginta took the opportunity to take Kagome up to the waterfall and train.

"Alright," he said when they arrived, "It's time for me to teach you this trick. If you can master it, then your learning will be accelerated, and you'll be able to master weaponry and martial arts within a few months. Not to mention we can add some of our stimulants to your food to accelerate your muscle growth."

"Like... steroids? Aren't those bad for you?"

"I don't know... steroids... but trust me, this is perfectly safe. We use it to train young ones during times of war, when death could be around any corner. It's just to rush the growth, and we're one-hundred percent positive that you'll be fine."

She nodded, "Okay. And if I master this today, how long will it take to master these skills?"

"Somewhere around two months. You'll have to take it slow at first, but your hikes with Shiemi have been improving your endurance and muscle tone already haven't they?"

She shrugged, "I suppose."

"Good. Now I want you to focus your reiki in the muscles in your arms."

She did.

"What now?"

"I want you to pick that up," he said, gesturing to a large rock nearby.

She shot him a doubtful look, but she did as she was told, and she found that the boulder was light as a feather in her hands.

"Holy crap! How-"

"Your reiki's enhancing your strength. That's what yokai do. It isn't commonly explored in priestesses, since you usually use reiki on weapons, but it's quite a simple skill."

She raised a brow, and tossed the boulder, and she let out a little cry of shock as it crashed into another boulder and turned part of it to dust.

"It's hard to get the hang of," Ginta said, sounding amused, "But once you do, it'll be like second nature."

Kagome just stared, watching the dust settle around the pieces of the broken boulders. She felt the reiki slowly drain away from where it seemed to be stored in her muscles.

"That was... Wow."

He just laughed, "It's completely normal. You probably could have done it months ago if you'd had more lessons. But anyway, the important thing is that now you know the basic principles to speed up your training."

"Really?"

He nodded, "If you focus your reiki while you train, you'll be able to master everything quickly. We really don't know when Naraku will attack again, but Koga thinks he's taking a respite or something. To get stronger. But he doesn't know we're doing the same."

"That makes sense, I suppose. Are we done with training for the day?"

"Yeah. I've got guard duties in a few minutes, but I'll walk you back."

She grinned, "'Kay. Sounds like fun."

* * *

When she arrived, Koga and Hakkaku were waiting. Ginta quickly explained that she'd pretty much mastered control of her reiki, and they led her off, waving off Ame's protests that they were interrupting his lesson.

"Okay," Koga said once they arrived at what seemed to be a training ground of sorts, "We're gonna start your combat training now. I'll do hand to hand, Hakkaku weapons. Sound okay?"

She nodded, and the lesson began.

* * *

Sheimi led her to the hot springs at sundown. She was drenched in sweat from a day in the sun, and she sunk into the water with a blissful sigh.

"So how did training go?"

She shrugged, "The reiki enhancement helps, but it'll be a while, I think, before I master anything."

Shiemi nodded in agreement, "It does help that you have mastery of your reiki. When we wolves are trained, we have little control of our yoki, so we have to rely more heavily on other things."

Kagome frowned, "Normally, I'd prefer to do things the traditional way, but with Naraku on the loose, we can't afford to lose any time."

"It sucks, but this is the best we can do for you. A more powerful demon could probably train you quicker, but we're quite short on those at the moment."

 _Sesshomaru. He's strong. The strongest._

"Yeah. Too bad."

"Well, either way, we'd better head back."

They both dried off, and walked together along the worn trail.

* * *

The next day Kagome spent all day training with Koga and Hakkaku. She only saw Shiemi at the hot springs, and Ginta and Ame were absent from her usual schedule. Weeks passed like that, and on and on it went. Her tight group of friends grew closer, despite their little interaction. and the pain of losing her old companions slowly faded, but never really went away. There were days when she couldn't even get out of bed, and her friends would surround her and hold her as she cried. And other days she was completely fine.

And time passed, as time does.

* * *

[ **AN:** Another insert from Broken.]

 _Kagome sat by the fire, sharpening her katana (her weapon of choice, though she could pretty much use anything). She, Ame, and Shiemi were out on a scouting mission, and they were just finished setting up a camp._

 _"Shiemi?"she asked._

 _"Yes?"_

 _"Do you think they're around here?"_

 _The three were in charge of tracking down a group of bear yokai in the area, and so far they'd found nothing._

 _"I doubt it, they know we are here."_

 _Suddenly, Kagome whirled, sensing a demonic presence at the edge of her senses. She got to her_ _feet_ , _and bolted towards it. The old Kagome would have been terrified, but this was what she was trained for. She sensed Ame and Shiemi following her, but she didn't turn to look._

 _They stopped at the edge of a clearing, and they crouched in the underbrush. Kagome couldn't see a thing, but she expanded her senses, finding three auras in the clearing, two_ _demons_ _and a human. She could tell they were crouched around a fire, but none of the light reached her eyes._

 _"Two yokai, one human," she whispered, and her friends nodded._

 _"On three?"_

 _They nodded again._

 _"One. Two. Three!"_

 _She jumped into the clearing with her katana drawn to find... Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un._

 _"Is that you Miss Kagome?" Rin asked._

 _She sheathed her katana and dropped to her knees beside the little girl._

 _"Of course it's me," she said, throwing her arms around her._

 _She noticed her friends standing awkwardly to the side._

 _"Rin, these are Ame and Shiemi," she said, gesturing to each as she said their names._

 _Her eyes flicked around the clearing._

 _"Where's Sesshomaru?"_

 _"Lord Sesshomaru has been gone for months. He told us to do as we wished until he returned, but he has been gone since you left."_

 _Kagome felt cold, hard guilt settle in her stomach._

Did I cause this?

* * *

She couldn't sleep that night. When she finally did, she dreamt of Sesshomaru. She woke with a start and cried herself back to sleep. It was a fitful sleep, and after waking for the fourth time, she got to her feet and padded quietly across the cave floor, stepping around the sleeping wolves on the ground. She stepped out into the cool night air, and she watched the stars appear as her eyes adjusted.

Shiemi and Ame were at her side in minutes, with Ginta and Hakkaku. Koga's snored still echoed throughout the cave.

"Are you alright?" Ame asked quietly.

She shrugged, "I don't know."

They carefully pulled her between them, in the middle of a circle of warmth and compassion. She put her head in her hands, and they stayed with her until she fell asleep, then they carried her back to Koga's furs, as if nothing had happened.

[We're coming up on the end guys! This was never supposed to be a long story, but I wish I could have made it longer. Please review and check out the poll on my profile.]


	6. Reunion

[Hey guys! My computer's being dumb again. Greaaaaat. But anyway, I hope you like this next chapter. Review and enjoy!]

Not much happened in the months that passed. Kagome trained. She got stronger. And taller. In those few months, her body changed at rates that should have been impossible for a human. She took hikes every day, went to the hot spring every evening, and stayed up late into the night to watch the stars. She still felt lost when she thought of them, true, but they also filled her with a strange sense of warmth.

* * *

It was a fine day when she and Sesshomaru finally crossed paths again. The sun shining, the birds chirping. She finished her training early, so that she, Shiemi, and Ame were able to go to the hot springs early. They reached their destination at high noon, and they each eased in with blissful sighs.

"This is heaven," Kagome sighed.

"Agreed."

They soaked in silence for a while, until Shiemi sat up.

[ **AN:** This scene was different in Broken, but I'm writing this on my phone and I really don't want to check the original scene, so I'm just gonna go from memory.]

"Can I tell you something?" she asked.

"Of course. What's up?"

"I'm... I'm in love with Ame."

"Huh? That was obvious."

"Ah! It was?!"

"To everyone but you two."

Shiemi groaned, "Really?"

"Kinda..."

"Well," Kagome said, "It seems that an exchange of secrets is in order."

Shiemi's eyebrows shot to her hairline, "Like what?"

"Before I came here... I kissed Sesshomaru."

Shiemi's cheeks turned pink and she grinned, "I knew there was something happening there!"

"I don't know if it was like that... I mean, my ex was his half brother."

"You weren't dating exclusively, and wasn't he also with another girl? Didn't you share a freaking soul?"

"Yeah," she admitted, "But still... I don't think it would be right for me to..."

"Well, either way, we'd better get back. Ame finished bathing a billion years ago."

So they did. Kagome got dressed quickly and pulled her hair back into a loose braid, and then the three friends walked back down the mountain path. She walked slightly behind, allowing Ame and Shiemi to talk. That was why she didn't notice the commotion until her friends froze. Shiemi looked back at her with a pitying glance.

As curious as she was, Kagome kept herself from using her reiki vision. If there was a problem, she didn't want to alert anyone to her presence.

"Our chief needs us."

She was momentarily confused. All she could see was the entire tribe surrounding... something.

 _Either way, I should get to Koga._

The three pushed through the crowd, moving to stand at Koga's side.

Kagome froze, her eyes widening as she saw who was standing across from Koga.

"So as you can see," he was saying, "I only need passage... through..."

He trailed off as he caught sight of her, and God only knew what he was thinking. [ **AN:** If _you_ want to know what he's thinking, this scene is from his perspective in Broken.] Their eyes met, brown clashing with gold, and she felt herself start to shake.

She couldn't handle this. He was here. She had run away, away from her feelings, and away from him, and he was here. And she was happy. Her body moved of it's own accord, and she found herself with her arms around his neck, sobbing into his haori coat.

"I'm s-so sorry Sesshomaru! It's all my fault. And Rin said you left, and I couldn't-"

She stopped trying to talk as he put his arm gently around her, and she just sobbed.

Her voice was muffled by the fabric of his kimono when she said, "I'm sorry. I couldn't handle it... before I mean. But-"

More sobbing escaped her.

"I missed you so much!"

He held her closer at that, and she felt a strange sense of warmth flow into her, as if her heart had just now started to beat, after months of silence.

[Well, if you're curious as to what happens after this, you'll have to read Broken. This is all I'm going to post for this story. Okay, you got me. Maybe in the future I'll post some oneshots for this particular version of the story. Maybe. But for now, please review and check out the poll on my profile. And be honest, how did you feel about this story?]


End file.
